Response of upper ocean currents to Typhoon Fanapi

The response of upper ocean currents to Typhoon Fanapi in fall 2010 was studied using an extensive air‐deployed drifter array. Separation of the observations into near‐inertial and sub‐inertial motions quantified the importance of strong advection by the sub‐inertial circulation for the evolution of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical research letters 2014-06, Vol.41 (11), p.3995-4003
Main Authors: Hormann, Verena, Centurioni, Luca R., Rainville, Luc, Lee, Craig M., Braasch, Lancelot J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Advection
Bias
Circulation
Cold
Cold shearing
Cold storage
Cooling
Diurnal cycle
Diurnal variations
Drift
drifting buoys
Evolution
Folding
Inertial currents
ITOP
Mixed layer
near-inertial motions
Ocean currents
Recovery
Separation
Shear
Storms
tropical cyclones
Typhoons
Upper ocean
upper ocean currents
Wakes
western North Pacific
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Summary:The response of upper ocean currents to Typhoon Fanapi in fall 2010 was studied using an extensive air‐deployed drifter array. Separation of the observations into near‐inertial and sub‐inertial motions quantified the importance of strong advection by the sub‐inertial circulation for the evolution of the cold wake formed by Typhoon Fanapi. The near‐inertial currents generated during the storm showed the expected rightward bias, with peak magnitudes of up to 0.6 m/s and an e‐folding time of about 4 days for the strong currents within the cold wake. The shear of the near‐inertial currents is crucial for the storm‐induced cooling and deepening of the mixed layer and such instabilities were here directly observed across the base of the mixed layer in Typhoon Fanapi's cold wake. During the recovery, the diurnal cycle—a dominant process for the wake warming—was found to be noticeably reduced when the near‐inertial motions were strongest. Key Points Sub‐inertial circulation of importance for advection of storm's cold wake Strongest near‐inertial motions in storm's cold wake on the right Near‐inertial shear instabilities across mixed‐layer base in storm's cold wake
ISSN:0094-8276
1944-8007
DOI:10.1002/2014GL060317